All Things Considered

5:00 pm

Fri March 30, 2012

A Growing Number of Roller Derby Fans "Follow the Star" in New Hampshire

Granite State Roller Derby (in blue and silver) and New Hampshire Roller Derby on the flat track.

(Kevin Pillsbury/courtesy New Hampshire Roller Derby)

There’s a big showdown going on this weekend in the world of flat track roller derby. A New Hampshire team known as the Skate Free or Die All Stars are heading to New York for a bout billed as the Suburban Brawl.

The All Stars are proof that this fast-growing sport has been taking hold especially strongly in New Hampshire over the past few years. To explain why, we turn to Mariel Warnock. She works for New Hampshire Roller Derby, but she also skates under a different name: Helen Carnate. Mariel/Helen tells All Things Considered host Brady Carlson why the sport is growing unusually fast in New Hampshire, and how Granite State teams are faring as they start competing against teams in other states.

During the conversation, Mariel mentions a number of active New Hampshire roller derby leagues. Here's a list with links to each league's website:

New Hampshire Roller Derby based in Manchester, which features two travel teams (including the Skate Free or Die All Stars) and three home teams.